Apparatus for pumping water, sand, &amp;c.



No. 060,046. Patented oct. 30; |900.

T. BUTLER. l APPARATUS FOB PUMPING WATER, SAND, 81.0. (Application ledMax. 28, 1900.1

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THOMAS BUTLER, OFVCLEBURNE, TEXAS.

APPARATUS FOR PUMPING WATER, SAND, 86C. l

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 660,946, dated October30, 1900.

Application tiled March 28, 1900. Serial No. 10,503. (No model.)

To all wwm it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS BUTLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cleburne, in the county of Johnson and State of Texas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for PumpingWater, Sand, tc., of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide an apparatus operated bycompressed air to elevate and discharge sand, water, (itc.

The principal object of my invention is to provide an apparatus foremptying sandboxes of locomotives. Heretofore this has usually been doneby hand or by the use of cups, dippers, or the like in the hands of anattendant, which is a slow and laborious task. By my improvements Idischarge quickly and eiciently the sand from a locomotive sandbox, theapparatus being so constructed that it may be quickly applied to ortaken from the sand-box and being'adjustable, so as to work efficientlyupon any amount of sand which the particular sand-box may. contain. Theparticular sand-pump which I have invented could, however, be used forelevating Water or other substances, as will be hereinafter described.

Briefly stated, the apparatus consists of a cap provided with means fordetachably connecting it to the casing of the sand-box or the casing ofa well, said cap being provided with a passage for com pressed air,which enters the casing or box and presses upon the sand, water, or thelike which the box or casing contains. The cap is also provided with astuffing-box through which extends a dischargef pipe adapted to enterthe material to be elevated and discharged. This pipe is adjustable inthe stuftingbox, so that it may be made to enter the material to theproper extent, whatever be its depth. Within the discharge-pipe isarranged a relatively small airpipe, the lower end of which is given ahalfturn, so that it discharges upward into the discharge-pipe, therebycausing the air to act as an ejector and as an aerator for the materialpassing out through the dischargeepipe. A compressed-air pipe isconnected by suitable couplings with the passage which admits compressedair to the top of the box or casing, and the air-injecting and aeratingpipe is preferably connected by a iiexible hose or pipe with thecompressed-air pipe, so that the upper end of the discharge-pipe may beturned into the desired position and may be also elevated and lowered.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a View, partly in elevationand partly in sec-` tion, of rnyimproved apparatus applied to alocomotive sandbox. Fig. 2 is a similar View of my apparatus as appliedto a well.

Referring to Fig. l, A indicates a locomotive sand-box. B indicates acap for the opening B 0f this box, to which the apparatus is applied.This cap is made to fit air-tight around the edge of the opening B andis preferably clamped thereon by means of a cross-bar C, attached to abolt C', passing centrally through the cap B. The head of the bolt C isbelow the cross-bar, while the nut c is arranged on the bolt above thecap. D indicates a short pipe applied to the opening din the cap for thepassage of compressed air to the top of the box A. This pipe is con-y`nected by a coupling E with a compressedair pipe F, which latter isconnected bysuit. able couplings G with another air-pipe or othersuitable supply for compressed air. H indicates the discharge-pipe. Itsupper end is curved and prolonged sufficiently to enable the sand to bedelivered at some convenient place.

plied to the cap B. The pipe is preferably adjust-able vertically in thestuffing-box, so that its lower end may enter the sand to a suitabledepth to most efficiently provide for the discharge of the material.Between its upperl curved end and the stufiing-boxthe discharge-pipe isprovided with a T-coupling K, which latter is provided with astuffingbox k, through which extends a relatively small pipe L. Thispipe is bent Within the T-coupling and extends vertically downward tothe bottom of the discharge-pipe and is then curved upward at Z, so asto discharge the compressed air upward into the dischargepipe, therebyacting as an ejector for the material in the discharge-pipe. The pipe Lis connected by a flexible pipe M with the coupling E, the arrangementbeing such that air supplied through the pipe F will enter the sand-boxthrough the opening CZ and will also The discharge-pipe passes throughstuffing-box I, of suitable construction, ap-'i IOO pass through thepipes M and L and enter the discharge-rape H in the manner beforespecified. By this apparatus the sand may be quickly discharged from asand-box otl a locomotive. The compressed air entering through theopening d presses upon the sand and causes it to enter thedischarge-pipe H; but this pressure is insuiicient to cause t-he sand topass out through the discharge-pipe, as the latter is apt to becomeclogged; but by combining with the air-pressure above mentioned theair-jet through the pipe L, acting as an ejector, I find that the sandwill be continuously and expeditiouslydischarged. By making thedischarge-pipe adjustable and connecting it tothe air-supply pipe bymeans ot' a flexible pipe orhose Iam enabled to regulate the depth towhich the discharge-pipe enters the sand and also am enabled to turn thedischarge end ot' the discharge-pipe to the desired position withoutstopping the apparatus or otherwise interfering with its operation. Novalves are used. The apparat us may be quickly applied to and removedfrom a sand-box, and it is not apt to get out of order.

In Fig. 2 my improvements are shown as applied to a well-easing, such asan oil-well casing. In this instan ce, N indicates the casing of anoil-wel l. O indicates the cap or cover ol' the casing. This may bescrew-threaded, as shown, and thus may be removably applied to theupperend ot' the casing. Pindicates the compressed-air supply pipe. Qindicates a pipe leading from the compressed-air pipe, extending throughthe cover O, and opening into the top oi' the casing above the oil orwaterin the well. R indicates thedischargepipe, which passes through apacking-box S and-may be adjusted vertically therein, as Well as turnedabout its axis. T indicates a relatively small pipe which connects withthe compressed-air pipe in the manner indicated and extends down throughthe discharge-tube to the bottom thereof and is turned upward at t, soto discharge compressed air near the bottom of the tube upward, andthereby act as an ejector for the oil or water in the tube. Vthencompressed air is supplied through the pipe P, it passes through thepipe Q onto the top of the casing, presses upon the oil or watertherein, and causes it to rise in the discharge-pipe R.. At the sametime the compressed air passes through the pipe T and out through theopening t into the column of oil or water in the discharge-pipe, actingas an ejector, and thus facilitating the rising and discharge of theliquid. The connection between the pipe T and the compressed-air pipe isa flexible one, such that the dischargepipe may be elevated anddepressed and may also be turned about its axis.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination, substantially as set forth,ot' an air-tight vessel, a cap fitting airtight to an opening in theupper end thereof and removably connected therewith, a discharge-pi pecarried by the cap extending through it down into the vessel, anentrance for compressed air in the cap opening into the vessel above theopen lower end ofthe discharge-pipe and above the material in thevessel, a pipe supplying compressed air to the vessel through saidentrance-opening, a relatively small pipe extending down through thedischarge pipe and discharging compressed air upward in thedischarge-pira; near its lower end, and connections between the upperend of said relatively small pipe and the main compressed-air-supplypipe, the organization being such that compressed air is forced into thevessel upon the surface ofthe material to canse it to enter the lowerend ot the disellarge-pipe while compressed air acting as an ejectorenters the discharge-pipe at its lower end and forces the materialupward therein.

2. The combination, siilistantially as set forth, of an air-tightvessel, a cap fitting airtight to an opening therein and removablyconnected therewith, adischarge-pipe extending through a stuling-box inthe cap in which it. is free to move vertically and to turn about itsaxis, a compressed-air pipe opening into the vessel through the cap, arelatively small pipe contained in the discharge-pipe and extendingthrough the cap down into the vessel, and discharging upward in thedischarge-pipe near the lower end thereof, anda flexible pipe connectingthe main compressed-air-supply pipe with the upper end of the relativelysmall pipe contained in the discharge-pipe.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto suhscribed my name.

THOMAS BUTLER.

fitnessesz R. C. AVERRETT, W. J. EWING.

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